News

This article appeared in The Cyber Issue in Winter 2016.

Journalists get a unique look into cyber issues. At the forefront of the biggest stories and scandals, the media is essential in shaping the public’s understanding and awareness of the latest developments. The Journal of International Affairs talked to Kim Zetter, an award-winning journalist who recently covered cyber for Wired, about what it is like on the inside, how she communicates with sources in the digital age, and what are the next major crises and breaking news stories. 

Technology and transparency combined to create the digital revolution, which in turn has ushered in a new form of monitory democracy. Communicative abundance and global interconnection mean the democratic franchise can expand and deepen, but the author argues that it matters who is made transparent and for what purpose. Content and context matter. Technology and transparency can be used to strengthen democracy by opening up government to citizens, but the same tools can also be used by the state to surveil and disempower citizens, thereby damaging democracy. The author uses three case studies to…

They are unlikely bedfellows: Sunni Islamists declaring a caliphate across the Middle East, ranchers attacking a federal wildlife refuge headquarters while refusing to pay taxes, and neo-Nazis peddling white nationalism and hatred of Jews to Twitter. But they have more in common than any of them would like to admit. It’s not just that they’re all extremists, advocating ideas and behaviors that challenge standard order and condone violence. Importantly, all of these groups and others have used social media to spread their brand across the globe and into our communities.

This problem…

Four of the world’s largest Internet companies pledged to monitor, combat, and prevent terrorists from using their social media platforms to conduct operations in May 2016. One month later, Twitter, Facebook, and Google were sued for deaths caused by the Islamic State in 2015, and their alleged allowance and facilitation of terrorist communication. A growing demand for responsible and accountable online governance calls into question the global norms of cybersecurity and jurisdiction, and the very definition of terrorism. This paper explores the legislative precedent for countering terrorist…

Heated debates continue over the right balance between privacy and security. The Journal of International Affairs talked to Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who broke the story on Edward Snowden, about government surveillance and disclosures of government secrets. Greenwald discusses WikiLeaks, Russia and the U.S. presidential election, and the impact leaks have on international relations.